The Aftermath of Haunted
by Moonquake
Summary: Suze's life as a mediator just got a little harder. She now has to fulfill her promise to Paul, but can she get out of it before death takes over?
1. The Nightmare

Disclamer: I do not own any of Meg Cabot's characters or anything. They belong to Meg and Meg alone... ::sigh:: ...unfortunatly.  
  
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He loves me! He loves me! Those three words continued to repeat themselves in my head when I finally got home. I stepped into the house with a stupid smile on my face, which I couldn't seem to rid. Jesse had kissed me. I still couldn't believe that he actually felt the same way about me as I did about him. And all that time, I thought he was ignoring me for just the opposite reason . But, now I know I was wrong. And I had never been so glad to be wrong.  
  
My mom stopped me half-way thought the kitchen. "Susie, how did the feast go?"  
  
I was so happy that I had almost considered telling her everything. Everything about Paul's grampa...everything about CeeCee...and everything about...Jesse. She had always wanted me to get a boyfriend, so what would it matter if he was alive or dead? At least he liked me. But, then, I thought, she'd probably think I'm crazy...well, crazier...and get me locked up in the loony bin, which would put me farther away from Jesse. And that's the one thing I don't need at this point. So, instead I replied with an "it was fine" and went upstairs to my room.  
  
I had been hoping to find, who else, Jesse up there. I could see him in my mind already, sitting up in my room on the windowseat, waiting for me to come home. But, when I finally pushed open my bedroom door, the only things I saw were that ugly cat, Spike, and my perfumes and nailpolish spread across my floor, which I hadn't bothered to clean yet. Something told me that they'd be staying there for another night at least. Nothing mattered anymore, save one thing.  
  
"Jesse, where are you?" I whispered quietly to myself. I wasn't calling for him or anything, although I was considering doing it. He had always...well, almost always...come when I called him. I mean, he's not a dog or anything, but he comes, nevertheless. I wasn't quite sure if I should call him or not. If I did, I wasn't even sure if he could come. Father Dom probably made him swear to keep out of my room or something. He better not have done that...  
  
I pondered this for a few minutes more, then decided that if I was going to go find Jesse, it'd be easier to do it while it's still light out. I took my clothes into the bathroom and changed. Even though Jesse wasn't here, I still found it hard to break the habit of changing in there. The bathroom, I mean.  
  
I came back out and crawled into my bed, thoughts of Jesse still occupying my mind. I yawned and closed my eyes and in no time at all, I was dead alseep.  
  
There we were, me and Jesse, walking down a supermarket isle of all places. But, it didn't matter where we were, as long as we were together. We continued to walk, holding each other's hands, our fingers entwined. There was nothing ahead of us except for a whole bunch of cereals, canned tomatoes, and boxes of granola bars. The isle seemed to stretch along in front of us, never ending. No one else was around. The store seemed abandoned, which was perfectly fine by me.  
  
The only sound we could hear were the tapping of our own feet against the hard tile of Stop and Shop or whatever store we were in. We were both perfectly content until another pair of feet wwas heard just behind us. Jesse turned around to look.  
  
"Did you hear that?" he asked.  
  
I nodded my head silently, looking around for the source of the sound.  
  
I was still peering around behind us, when Jesse suddenly hugged me close to him. He pointed ahead of us and that was all the signaling I needed. We obviously weren't in Kansas anymore. The grocery store was changing right before our eyes. The canned tomatoes and other foods were falling off the shelves. No...not falling...being pushed. Pushed by tendrils of whispy smoke. The food disintegrated as soon as it hit the floor, leaving a dark mark in it's place. No, it wasn't a mark...it was a different floor. And with every item that fell off the shelves and hit the floor, a new section of it would be revealed. The floor, I mean.  
  
My eyes widened with every dark new patch of floor. Soon, the normally white tiled supermarket isle floor had been transformed completely--transformed into a floor that I knew all too well. And the smoke that twirled around my ankles gave the whole scene a lovley touch. It was a view that I had hoped never to see again. Now, there was just one thing missing.  
  
WHOOSH! The ends of the isle suddely stretched to an infinite length.  
  
CRASH! The shelves all dropped simutaniously and disappeared as soon as they collided with the floor, just as the food had done.  
  
BANG! A door appeared on one side of the isle, but it seemed as if someone had just slapped it on there. BANG! Another door just opposite the already existing one appeared. BANG! Another door appeared beside the first one. BANG! And another door... BANG! And another... BANG! And another... BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG...  
  
Before long, the entire isle, which had now become more of a hallway, was filled with doors. Doors leading I don't know where. I could still hear the banging of more doors in the distance. I knew that that sound would never stop. It was just go on, and on, and on, and on until I just simple couldn't hear it anymore. But in the back of my mind, I knew it would be there.  
  
I slowly turned my face toward Jesse, who was still holding me protectivly. "What is going on?" I asked.  
  
Jesse opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was drowned out by the laughter of someone else in the hallway. My head snapped around just in time to see Paul striding toward us.  
  
"Hello, Simon," he said. He grinned at me, showing all of his perfectly white, straight teeth. I, more than anything, would have liked to slam my fist into that perfect mouth of his and watch those glistening teeth fall to the floor and vanish as the food and shelves had done. "Lovely day, isn't it?" He gestured toward the sides of the hallway, which made me feel even more trapped in this place, which seemed a lot to me, like Hell.  
  
Before I could think of what to say next to Paul, Jesse was upon him, apparently trying to do as I had wanted to a few moments ago. Stunningly, Paul merely laughed again. He picked up Jesse by the neck with incredibal strength and tossed him into a wall. That's right, tossed. Not threw, not heaved, simply tossed. WHAT was going ON here? And with that, I threw myself at Paul, punching him in the jaw. Nothing, no one, was going to hurt my Jesse and get away with it. I pulled my arm back and prepared it for another strike. My arm felt like the spring in a pinball machine, ready to smack that little ball at any moment. And right now, that little ball was Paul's head.  
  
I released my fist and thrusted it at his face. He raised his hand and caught my fist in a cupped palm. I drew back my other fist, planning to drive it into his face. But, when I let that one go, too, he caught it in his other hand, the same way he had done a second ago. He tightened his grip on my closed fists.  
  
"Let go of me!" I yelled, trying to wrench back my hands. It was no use.  
  
"That's not very nice." he said matter-of-factly.  
  
Jesse, who had apparently temporarily lost conciousness, opened his eyes which were burning with anger, sprung up and ran towards Paul as soon as he saw that he wouldn't let go of me. Paul released my right hand and held it up towards Jesse. Jesse froze instantly. Was Paul's hand so scary that it stopped Jesse in his tracks or something?  
  
"What are you doing to me?" Jesse demanded of Paul. I understood now. I'm in a dream. And Paul's controlling it. I knew I couldn't get hurt in this dream, but what about Jesse? Was this Jesse the real Jesse visiting me in my mind, or was it merely my own projection of him? I hoped for the latter. If this was the real Jesse, I didn't know what Paul might be able to do to him...  
  
"Oh, no, this is your own image of your loved one," Paul stated. He spat the words "loved one" like they were poison in his mouth. What? How could he know what I was thinking if I didn't even say anything? Oh, yeah, because it's practically his dream. "Besides," he continued. "He's not the reason why I'm here."  
  
I looked back at Jesse...or Dream-Jesse according to Paul...then back at Paul. "Then get out of my head!"  
  
Paul raised an eyebrow. He was clearly amused by the whole situation. "That's no way to treat your teacher, now is it?"  
  
"Teacher?" I asked. Then, it all came back to me...the night of Brad's party...the night I promised Paul that I'd let him teach me everything he knows about mediating. I'm so stupid! Why did that have to happen the night BEFORE his grandfather told me about him?!  
  
"My grandfather?" he asked curtly. "My grandfather told you about me?" He narrowed his eyes in my direction.  
  
I finally pulled back the fist that had been trapped in his clenched hand. He released it easily. It seemed I had struck a nerve. "Yes, your grandfather, Slaski."  
  
Paul raised his eyebrows. He quickly regained his composure. "So, he told you our name was Slaski, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," I said. "And he also told me about what you're doing...it'll kill you. And me if I listen to you." This time, it was my turn to narrow my eyes. Jesse began to say something, but Paul made a gesture as if he were zipping shut a horizontal zipper, and Jesse was cut off mid-sentance. Jesse was still frozen and now he couldn't speak, either. It made me want to kill Paul on the spot right then and there.  
  
Paul, who was shaking his head slowly, raised his eyes to the low ceiling and chuckled. "Suze, my grandfather," he said with a slight laugh. "is losing his mind. You seriously think he knows what he's talking about?"  
  
"Yes," I replied tersely. "I do."  
  
Paul's eyes bore into mine for a few seconds longer, as if we were in a staring contest...and I was winning. He looked away, then turned his back on me, grasping his right wrist with his left hand behind his back, and took a few steps away. "Anyway, Suze, back to my whole reason for being here. You're wondering how to do this, aren't you?" He turned to face me once more.  
  
"Do what?" I asked.  
  
"This." Once again, he gestured to the hallway. I just didn't get it. What's he talking about?  
  
"What's he talking about?" he repeated, with a laugh.  
  
"This..." I mimicked his gesture around the hall. "and that, right?"  
  
"Right. I'm going to teach you how to get into someone's mind."  
  
I shook my head and turned away. "No. Why won't you listen to your grandfather? It'll kill us!"  
  
"Because my grandfather is a nut!" he yelled at me loudly. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then opened them with a new air of patience. "He's old, Suze. I love him and all, but he's not all there, get it?"  
  
I paused for few moments, gazing at him disbelievingly, then rolled my eyes. "And he's not the only one. Now, can you just leave me in peace? I'd really like to rest without you in my dreams." I spat the word "you" just as Paul had said the words "loved one".  
  
"Heh...fine," he said. Paul raised his hands as if to say "I surrender". "I'll leave. But, for talking back to the teacher, I'll have to figure out some sort of punishment, won't I?" He glared maliciously at Jesse with an evil-looking half-smile.  
  
"What are you going to do?" I asked harshly, advancing a step toward him. Paul took a step toward me, still smiling, then slowly raised his hand to the side, pointing at Jesse. He snapped his fingers and Jesse screamed and dropped to the floor.  
  
I turned to run toward Jesse, but Paul stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Get out of my way!" I screamed at him. I moved quickly to dodge him and make my way toward Jesse, but Paul, once again, shifted so that he was in my way.  
  
"No, not yet, Suzie. I'm not finished with him, yet," he said, holding me still with his hands gripping my upper arms.  
  
"Let go of me, NOW!" I remembered being scared of him...of this...this creature. Now, fear was the last thing on my mind. Now, I just wanted to bash his head into a bloody pulp. I knew I could do it, too. Living in New York City had at least taught me that much. But in this dream-world, it would be all but impossible.  
  
Paul briskly let go of my arms. He looked at me, grinning wickedly, his eyes flashing. I narrowed my own eyes at him and shoved him to the side as I raced toward Jesse.  
  
I was only a few more steps away from Jesse when I finally saw what Paul had done to him. A   
  
blood-curtling scream escaped my mouth.  
  
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What happened to Jesse? Will Paul let Suze get off their deal that easily? REVIEW and find out! :) 


	2. Arguments

Disclaimer again: They ain't mine!  
  
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I fell next to Jesse and ran a hand across his cheek, which was covered in rotting flesh. Paul had given Jesse a body--Jesse's own body. I felt the sting of tears rise up to my eyes. I closed my eyes and looked away. I had seen Jesse's body once, and I had hoped never to see it again. Just then, I remembered what Paul had said. 'Oh, no, this is your own image of your loved one'. Which means that this isn't the real Jesse. Paul's just trying to scare me...and he's doing a damn good job of it. I'm going to kill Paul when I wake up. I'm going to KILL HIM!!  
  
I fell asleep in U.S. history the next day. Ever since last night, I had stopped having nightmares about the hallway. I started having nightmares of Jesse's decaying body in the hallway, instead. I woke up with a scream caught in my throat. I was glad that I hadn't screamed, because when I woke up, I saw Paul grinning at me from across the room. I glared at him and went back to studying, which was what I was supposed to be doing at the moment. I found myself staring at the study sheet as if it were blank. I could see Paul staring at me out of the corner of my eye.  
  
As soon as the teacher's back was turned I picked up a pen and chucked it at his head. Bullseye--right between the eyes. Paul gasped as the pen flew. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting it, because he didn't duck. I flashed a sarcastic smile at him and turned back to my paper. Now that I had, at least, got to hit Paul with something, my mind was a lot clearer. And so was the voice that came on the inter-com a second later.  
  
"Susannah Simon, to the office, please. Susannah Simon to the office."  
  
Usually when I get called to the school's office, it has nothing to do with school. Usually my meetings with the school principal consist of ghost-busting. I grabbed my books and stepped out of the door, glad to get called away from Paul. I was half-way down the hallway when I heard the inter-com again, ringing through the hall.  
  
"Paul Slater to the office, please. Paul Slater."  
  
Oh, God. I slammed my fist on the wall beside me just before he came out. He jogged to catch up with me, then walked beside me. I hurried my pace...and he hurried his own. I slowed down...and he slowed down. I stopped. He stopped.  
  
"Will you get away from me?" I said. It wasn't a question. It was an order.  
  
"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked with a broad smile.  
  
"Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me--" I hauled off and punched him in the stomach. "I've been dying to do that for a while now. Maybe you should stop at the nurse on your way to the office," I said, immitating the smile he had been wearing before I slammed my fist into his gut. I turned my back on him and headed down to the office. Paul was following me, but wasn't very eager to stand right next to me at the moment.  
  
"She punched me," Paul Slater told Father Dominic.  
  
"Well, you'd want to punch him, too, if he went inside your mind in the middle of the night and made your already re-ocurring nightmares worse!" I said to Father D.  
  
Father Dom raised his eyebrows and looked at Paul, who was looking at the ground. I wondered what he was thinking. Paul, I mean. Probably 'haha'.  
  
"Nevertheless, Susannah, you can't just go punching people, whether they're living or dead," Father Dom told me. Of course, I had heard this many times before. But, I guess he just never gets tired of saying it. Each time he said it, I hadn't listened, but this time, I was mad. How dare he tell me that I can't punch the one who now haunted my dreams, forcing me to look at the dead body of my boyfriend. Oh, yeah, and there's also the fact that Paul had tried to kill me. So, comparing death to a punch, what I did was nothing bad at all.  
  
"Father Dom, you weren't there. You didn't see what he did!" I exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do? Say "Oh, it's okay, Paul, that you show up in my head and torture my boyfriend in front of me as a punishment for my wanting to sleep instead of you teaching me things that'll kill me"?!  
  
"Your boyfriend? Ha...a boyfriend that no one can even see or talk to or even touch. Well, except for us of course," he said with a sneer. I prepared to slug him again, and as soon as I lunged, Paul sheilded himself with his arms, but Father Dom caught my arm just before it hit Paul's face.  
  
"See that?!" yelled Paul to Father Dom.  
  
"Susannah! Take a deep breath and count to ten," he said.  
  
I took a deep breath. Instead of counting to ten, I counted from ten. Ten...seconds until I kill Paul...nine...seconds until I kill Paul...eight...seconds until I kill Paul...seven...seconds until I kill Paul...six...seconds until I punch Paul...five...seconds until I think about Jesse...four...seconds until I miss Jesse...three...seconds until I run home to see if Jesse's there...two...seconds until I see that he's not there...one...second until I cry....  
  
I sat in my chair, eyes glazed, staring blankly at the floor. I didn't care about Paul anymore. All I wanted right now was for Jesse to be here.  
  
"I did not call you two down here to fight," said Father Dom, glaring at both of us. "Now, what was the last thing you said?"  
  
I looked up, suddenly angry again. "I said I hate Paul," I said, glaring daggers at Paul.  
  
"Susannah, I'm serious. What was the very last thing you said...about punishment," he said. Ah, he caught the part of Paul trying to kill me again and taking himself along with me.  
  
"What Paul is trying to 'teach' me is going to kill me..." I began.  
  
"My grandfather told her that..." Paul added. Fortunately, I had the floor and Father Dom held up a hand to quiet him. It didn't work, though.  
  
"It'll kill both of us if he continues doing anything..." I continued.  
  
"My grandfather didn't know what he was saying," Paul said.  
  
"Your grandfather knows what he's saying. He said he was just like you when he was younger," I said to Paul.  
  
"And he's not dead, is he?" Paul countered. This thought hadn't occured to me. If Paul's grandfather was 'just like Paul', then why isn't he dead if he did the same things that Paul did?  
  
I opened my mouth to say something else. Both Paul and Father D. were looking at me. I closed my mouth again and decided not to continue.  
  
After a few seconds, Father Dom started talking again. "Now, Paul, what is it exactly that you are trying to teach Susannah?"  
  
"I'm trying to teach 'Susannah' just what I did last night--how to get inside someone's mind. She's not a mediator, she's a shapeshifter, meaning she has the ability to do that," Paul answered. He emphasised my name, as if making fun of it. "And, if you think about it, I'd also be teaching you a very good way to get payback on me," he added to me.  
  
Hey, that's a pretty good idea. Have him teach me how to do all that crap, then use it against him. But, why was he telling me this? Maybe just so I'd let him teach me how to do it. And that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.  
  
"Look, Paul, I don't need you to teach me how to get revenge on you, ok?" I said, standing up and turning to face Paul. I, then, turned to Father Dom. "Father D., can I please go? I'm really sorry, but I can't stand being in the same room with him anymore."  
  
"Don't go, yet," said a voice. I knew it wasn't Father Dom's and my heart skipped a beat. Jesse walked though the door to the office...which was closed. He looked at Paul with murderous eyes. "I will not allow you to teach Susannah anything that will harm her."  
  
Paul stood up and walked over to Jesse. He had better not start a fight. Not here. Not right in front of Father D. "Protecting your little girlfriend, are you?"  
  
Jesse narrowed his eyes. I could see that his fists were clenched...probably trying to resist the urge to jam one into Paul's face. "That's exactly what I'm doing."  
  
Hey, I, of all people, definately did not need a body guard. I can take care of myself. I don't need someone to--wait...did he just call me his girlfriend??  
  
Paul sneered at Jesse. "She promised to let me teach her, Jesse. She promised and she can't go back on her word."  
  
Jesse turned his head to look at me. Yeah, I hadn't mentioned that part to him, yet. "Susannah, you...promised to let him...'teach' you?" he asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Yes, Jesse. As long as he promised not to try hurt you anymore," I said hesitantly. I wasn't sure how he'd take this. He'd probably either be happy that I did it to save his soul from Paul, or he'd be mad about it because I practically traded my own for Jesse's. Knowing Jesse, I expected the latter possibility. "Which means, Paul, that you have to get away from him right now and keep your mouth shut."  
  
Sure enough, I could see the fire in his eyes, but I couldn't tell who it was specifically directed at, me or Paul. Probably the both of us. I sensed that he was angry with me, but he truly wanted to kill Paul for getting me into this in the first place. "Susannah. Your life never comes before mine. Do you understand me?" he said. "You have a life to lose, I don't."  
  
"You don't have a life to lose, but you do have a soul to lose. We're both even. If anything happens to either of us, we're gone, get it?" I said to him. I mean, normally, he would be right. But, we're dealing with Paul here. And Paul could kill and exorcise, which is a danger to both Jesse and I. And nothing was going to happen to Jesse as long as I could help it.  
  
I could see Paul smiling at us. And I wanted so bad to smack that smile right off of his face. And if Father D. wasn't there, I would have. "Aww...are the love birds having an argument?" he sneered.  
  
That's it!  
  
"Father Dom, can I please leave now? No matter how hard you try, your not going to get me and Paul to get along," I said to Father D. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away from Paul. I needed some time to think about when I'm be able to talk to Jesse. Maybe I could call him when I get home. I wasn't very happy about discussing with Jesse how willing I was to put my life nefore his right there in front of Father Dom. In front of Paul, maybe, but not Father Dom. If the conversation carried on in front of Paul, maybe it would actually get it through his thick skull that I love Jesse, whether he's dead or alive, and not him.  
  
I saw Father D. rummaging around in his desk drawer. I knew exactly what he was looking for. Well, he might not have even been looking for them, it might have been subconsciously, but anyway, he was trying to find his pack of cigarettes. I knew he doesn't smoke, but he keeps them around as a stress reliever just in case. Apparently, he was having some trouble finding them.  
  
He sighed and removed his hand from the desk drawer. "You may go, Susannah," he said. Then, he looked at Paul. "You may also go," he said. Oh, yeah, I'll have to go abck to the same class with him. I'm such an idiot. Father D. nodded in Jesse's direction, which also dismissed him.  
  
"We'll speak later, Susannah," Jesse said severely, but quietly, and dematerialized.  
  
I stood up, and so did Paul. We left the office, leaving Father D. and his little pack of cigarettes alone.  
  
"Heh, it must really suck having a dead boyfriend, doesn't it, Suze?" he said, eyeing me. It was just after his stupid comment when I had the highlight of my day. I tripped Paul and sent him face-first into the floor. I gave him an extra little push on his way down, which made the collision even more pleasing. I don't even think Snickers could have made a more satisfying crunch. He rolled over onto his back, clutching his nose. To my pleasure, I could see that his eyes were watering from the pain.  
  
"Heh, it must really suck having your face plowed into the ground, doesn't it, Paul?" 


	3. A Dopey Discovery

I walked up the stairs and headed down the hallway. Jesse had said that we'd talk later and I could already sense his presence waiting for me in my bedroom. I stopped in front of my closed bedroom door and listened for a few seconds, just to make sure he was in there. I heard a book being set down on something, which almost confirmed my thoughts.  
  
I grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open. Jesse instantly stood up, his eyes fixed on me. "I was waiting for you to get home," he said.  
  
"Yeah, I see," was my reply. I dragged my backpack into my room and dumped it on the bed, then went over to Jesse. "Look, Jesse, I know you wouldn't have wanted me to do this, but I had to...to save you. If I don't, Paul will try to exorcise you...I don't know what I would have done if that had happened," I said. It was more than I meant to say. I felt tears trying to leak through just at the thought of losing Jesse forever.  
  
When I entered the room, Jesse's expression had been stern and serious. But, now, it softened as I finished my last statement. He took a deep breath, then smiled slightly, comfortingly. "What am I going to do with you, Susannah?" I felt the pain inside slowly receding as his gorgous smile eased my nerves. "If Paul comes near me, I can take care of him," he said. I could see a glare of anger as he said Paul's name, but then his smile faded and was replaced by a look of concern. "What we need to worry about now is how to get you out of trouble."  
  
"I can take care of myself, too, Jesse."  
  
"Yes, you can. But, you're used to dealing with ghosts and normal people...not shapeshifters. It's different this time...and I'm not going to lose you at the hands of that monster," he said fiercly. "We need to find a way to get you out of this," he said.  
  
I sighed heavily, not letting the happiness swelling inside me show. Jesse didn't want to lose me...and that fact was just good enough to make my day. Besides, I could already tell that he was going to win this fight. Instead of answering him, I looked away for a few seconds, then looked back up at him. "Yeah, I know, but how? I mean, I promised...how am I going to get out of it?"  
  
"Paul cheats and lies...you cheat and lie...what's the difference between lying to Paul and lying to you mother, for example?" Jesse said.  
  
I glared at him. "Hey, I only lie when I have to, not a daily basis like Paul does."  
  
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that...necessarily," he said defensively. I was going to comment on the way he had said "necessarily", but before I could speak, he continued.  
  
"I know that you only do it when it's important and when you have to." He paused for only a minute to take my face between both of his hands and look at me intently. "And right now, you have to," Jesse said desperately. There something in his voice...something and I couldn't tell exactly what. I could only hope that it was...  
  
I was suddenly aware that my heart-beat had quickened. With my face still trapped in his hands, Jesse was so close...and I realized that he was getting closer. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face, which, of course, didn't smell like anything what with Jesse's being a ghost and whatnot.  
  
Jesse's lips touched my own and I was instantly in a world of bliss. I melted and impulsively put an arm around him. This was our third kiss and was by far the best one. But, it seems like whenever this happens, there's always something else that we should be thinking about...and the majority of the time, it was a life and death situation that we were supposed to be thinking about. But, all of the bad memories and thoughts were washed away in this one kiss. I still couldn't believe that he loves me and had loved me, even when I thought that he hated me.  
  
Bang! My bedroom door flew open, interrupting our kiss. And noneother than Dopey was standing in the doorway, staring. Oh, God, I must look so stupid right now. I mean, he barges into my room and sees me kissing air. Great, just great!  
  
"I knew I heard you talking to someone! So, this is the guy you've been sneaking in here," Dopey said, staring pointedly at Jesse. My breath caught in my throat. What the heck did he mean by that? He can't see Jesse!  
  
I stared at him and I noticed that Jesse was, too. "Dop...I mean Brad? What are you talking about?" I asked hesitantly.  
  
"What am I talking about? I'm talking about him," Brad said as he walked over to Jesse and picked his shirt at the shoulder. "Dude, your clothes are ancient. What, are you ready for Halloween already?" Brad said, pushing Jesse slightly.  
  
Dopey can see Jesse! Dopey can touch Jesse! But, he's not...he can't be...  
  
Jesse glared at Brad, looking as if he were trying to restrain himself from pushing him back.  
  
"Brad...you can see him?" I asked, still pretty much shocked.  
  
"Well, it's kind of hard to miss him, don't you think?" He answered sourly.  
  
I turned to Jesse. "Um...I think I need to talk to Dopey alone for a minute if you don't mind, Jesse," I said.  
  
Jesse nodded and dematerialized. Brad yelled at the sight and jumped back. "How...how did he do that?!" he yelled in my face.  
  
I flinched and wiped the spit off my face with the back of my sleeve. Brad was still freaking out when I grabbed him by the shoulders to keep him still. "Will you shut up! You're telling me that you can see him, Brad?!"  
  
"You already said that and how did he do that?!" he shouted.  
  
I took a deep breath. I can't believe that I'm about to tell this to Brad of all people. "You wanna know how he did that, Brad? He can do that because he's dead. He's dead. He's a ghost. And since you can see him, that means that you're a mediator," I blurted out all at once.  
  
Brad was standing there, staring at me like I had three heads. I could tell why. He obviously didn't get anything I had just said. Nor did he want to.  
  
"A...ghost?" For a split second, his expression changed. It looked almost like he was scared. But, he quickly regained his fearless-looking expression and laughed. "You've got to be kidding me. If he was a ghost, I wouldn't be able to touch him."  
  
"And if he wasn't, he wouldn't have been able to disappear. You're a mediator, Brad. You're different. You're...you're like me," I said. The tone in my voice sounded as if I was making some great revalation...and I was. This was something I have been trying to hide from the world for years and here I am spilling my guts to someone who I wouldn't especially want to talk to anyways.  
  
He scoffed. "There's no such thing as ghosts. I don't know how that guy just -poofed- like that, but I'm not going to let you just keep bringing him in here. I'm getting dad and mom." He spun around and sailed out of my room.  
  
"Brad! NO!" I raced after him. He was half-way down the stairs when I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jerked him backward. He fell at the tug and bounced a few steps down. I let go of his shirt and instead clutched the tiny hairs on the back of his neck, knowing it would be painful.  
  
"LET GO OF ME!" He screetched, flailing his arms behind him, desperately trying to hit me or at least loosen my grip. He was failing miserably...and that fact brought a wicked smile to my face along with a strong sense of satisfaction. With my fingers still pinched his hair, I pulled him back up the stairs and dragged him back in my room.  
  
"Listen. Mom can't know about this..." I started, but he interrupted me before I got to finish.  
  
"Oh, and why not?" He demanded, his eyes narrowed threateningly.  
  
I sighed impatiently. "I was -getting- there. If you go and tell them, you'll not only be getting me in trouble...they're going to think you're insane, too. What are you going to say, huh? That you found some guy in my room that no one can see or hear but you and me? I doubt anyone's going to believe you."  
  
A look of realization had come over him. He knew I was right. "But, how do I know that mom or dad can't see him?" he said. I'll admit, it sounded weird hearing him say "mom". No one really calls her that but me.  
  
"If you've heard him, they would have had to have heard him, too, right? So, obviously, they haven't."  
  
"Prove it."  
  
I wanted so badly to just ask him "Brad, why are you so stupid?", but I didn't want to risk making him mad and fleeing the room and going to my mom. Besides, I'm not really sure what she'd think. There's two possibilities. One, she'd merely think that we were both out of our minds. But, two, she might think that something weird really -was- going on here.... I only knew that there was only one thing I could do about it now: keep Dopey's mouth shut.  
  
"I can prove it...as long as you do everything I say," I said hesitantly. I didn't add "and as long as Jesse's okay with it", although I probably should have.  
  
He stood there, apparently considering the idea. I almost laughed at the sight of him thinking. Or looking like he was thinking, at least. "Fine," he said after a few minutes. I nodded.  
  
"Jesse?" I called out to the seemingly room. Just as I anticipated, he materialized behind Brad. Brad turned around and jumped. Instantly, he covered the surprise with a look of extreme dislike.  
  
"Yes?" the ghost said to me, ignoring the dumbfounded guy in front of him.  
  
"Jesse...would you mind doing something for me?" I asked with a slight pleading look in my eyes. I knew he couldn't resist that look.  
  
He smiled. "Sure," he said, ignoring Brad's presence.  
  
"I need you to prove to him," I nodded to Dopey. "that our parents can't see you."  
  
"Okay...what do you want me to do?"  
  
"Just follow me. C'mon, Dop--I mean Brad. Just don't do anything...don't say anything. Just watch, okay?" Brad nodded and with that, I exited the room, followed by Dopey, then Jesse. I trudged down the stairs, then went into the kitchen. My mom was bustling around in there, beginning to cook dinner. "Hey mom," I said brightly, ignoring the fact that Andy, my stepdad was usually the one cooking.  
  
"Oh, hello, Susannah, Brad," she answered, smiling. She then turned her back and continued cooking, not asking who the third person was standing behind Dopey. I shot a look behind me and saw that Dopey had a look on his face that definately fit his nickname. I smirked slightly, then discreetly grabbed Jesse's hand and walked to my mom's side.  
  
"Watcha cookin'?"  
  
"Hamburg. Andy's making cheeseburgers."  
  
"Oh. Smells good. Mind if we get something to drink?" I asked, glancing at Dopey.  
  
"You and Brad? Sure." She turned back to her cooking.  
  
Triumphant, I strode back to Brad and grabbed his arm, bringing him back to the stairs. "See?" I whispered as she once again climbed the stairs. "She didn't even know he was there. Thanks, Jesse," I added to the ghost behind me.  
  
When we were in my room, Brad asked, "Okay, so...you're dead?" he said to Jesse, suspiciously.  
  
"You could put it that way..." he said, matching the look on my stepbrother's face.  
  
"Brad, just -please- don't tell anyone, okay? You don't understand what's happening yet," I said.  
  
"Susannah!" I turned around and opened the bedroom door, hearing the voice calling my name from the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Yeah, mom!" I called back.  
  
"Someone's here to see you!" she responded.  
  
The first thought that appeared in my mind was Cece. It must be Cece. "Brad...I'll explain later," I said, gesturing him to get out of my room. "And remember, don't tell anyone." I said the last three words like I was talking to a five-year-old.  
  
"Yeah, I got that part already," he snapped. I rolled my eyes as he left the room. I, then, exited after him and went to the front door. 


End file.
